Richard Davis Photography

Daily Photo – Lone Star

Richard Davis — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Lone Star (Click image for larger view or to purchase)

The single five-pointed star, the ‘Lone Star’ of the ‘Lone Star State’. It’s the unmistakable icon for Texas.

This property is out west along FM-1093 from Houston. On the day I took this photo I had noticed it on my outward leg but the light wasn’t right. The light was better on my return leg.

Taken around 3:00pm on a late January afternoon, the trees are all devoid of leaves. The sun was still high enough in the sky to light the face of the barn and the gate without interruption from the shadows of the trees.

There’s just something I like about the contrast of red and green.

This was the thirteenth picture I took with my Canon EOS 5D, back in January 2006. Last weekend, the mirror inside the camera separated while I was shooting Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. I was left with the dilemma, do I fix it or wait for the EOS 5D Mark III, due to be announced on February 27 or 28? Hmmmm. Then I found out that the 5D sells on eBay for upwards from $800 and the 5D Mark III is rumored to be in the $3,500 range and on calling Canon, learned that this was a know defect on the 5D and that they would repair it for free! So I’ve sent it off for repair and I’ll start skipping Starbucks to save up for the 5D Mark III!

Production Data

Camera: Canon EOS 5D
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens (B&H)
Processing: Lightroom 3.6
Processing: Photomatix 4.02
Processing: Photoshop CS5
Processing: Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4 (Nik Software)

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We’ve Moved!

Richard Davis — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:21:24 +0000

Sorry for any disruption in service. The load was overwhelming our servers so we’ve moved to a new host. It’ll take one to two days for the change to propagate around the world.

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Daily Photo – Dawn in the Oilfield

Richard Davis — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Dawn in the Oilfield (Click image for larger view)

The oil industry gave my my opportunities to journey and work around the world and I remain fascinated with this industry. While it clearly has the power to do harm, it’s allowed the human race to advance at a pace never before seen in history. The big question of course is, ‘What do we do when we run out of oil?’ It’s something we all need to be thinking about since it goes way beyond transport problems to the very fabric and structure of our societies today.

This ‘nodding donkey’ was whirring away on the beach near High Island in Texas. The sun is still a 33 minutes away from breaking above the horizon. If you look closely you can see not only the illuminated crescent of the side of the moon facing the sun, but the whole disc of the moon. On the horizon to the right of the picture are the lights of an offshore oil or gas platform.

The Macondo well accident didn’t directly impact the beaches this far west. But this and other wells are located right on the vegetation line on the beach so the potential for a spill exists.

As the oil is removed from the ground, the ground starts to sink. Structures nearby suggest that there were wells in this field a little further to the south that have now been capped since the water covers these structures at high tide. When I used to work in Brunei, I was told that the first well to have been drilled was also on the beach when it was drilled but was by then about 150 feet out to sea because of the sinking of the land. I’ve no way to verify that, but no reason to think it’s not true either.

Production Data

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II (B&H)
Battery Grip: Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip (B&H)
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens (B&H)
Tripod: Gitzo GT3531 6X Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs – Supports 39.6 lbs (18kg) (B&H)
Ball Head: BH-55 LR: Full-sized ballhead with LR (Really Right Stuff)
Processing: Lightroom 3.6
Processing: Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4 (Nik Software)

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Daily Photo – Abandoned Row-Boat

Richard Davis — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Abandoned Row-Boat (Click image for larger view)

Unlike yesterday’s image, this one took a bit more effort. I didn’t see the abandoned row-boat when I pulled the car off the road, just the inlet. It was as I was trying to get a better perspective on the inlet that I spied the boat in the weeds.

I had to scramble down a muddy hillside, navigate some thorny bushes and cross a small stream to get the boat in the foreground of my shot. All of which left me wondering how the boat got there – was it deliberately abandoned or did it float away on the tide and pitch up here by accident?

This location is about two miles south of East Machias at the head of Woodruff Cove.

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Daily Photo – Maine Stream

Richard Davis — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Maine Stream (Click image for larger view)

I took this photo back in the fall of 2010 when making a run-and-gun trip though Maine. Its another road-side photo. I’ve no idea if this stream has a name but it flows under Route 193 in Deblois.

Fortunately traffic on the roads here is light and there were plenty of places to pull off the road. This is a combination of three shots, hand-held. Since I was racing from Boston to Lubec in one day and I wanted a shot at finding somewhere to stay in Lubec, I didn’t take the extra few minutes to pull out the tripod but braced my camera as best I could on my left shoulder.

Production Data

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II (B&H)
Battery Grip: Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip (B&H)
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens (B&H)
Processing: Lightroom 3.6
Processing: Photomatix 4.02
Processing: Photoshop CS5

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Richard Davis Photography

Daily Photo – Lone Star

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Related posts:

We’ve Moved!

Daily Photo – Dawn in the Oilfield

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Daily Photo – Abandoned Row-Boat

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Daily Photo – Maine Stream

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